Marine Conservation for Kids

As a parent, you’ll naturally want your children to learn and understand as much as possible about the natural world. Teaching them about marine conservation – and its enormous importance – gives you an opportunity to do exactly that, but how do you get your kids interested in the oceans? And what should they be learning?

Why Get the Kids Interested in Marine Conservation?

There are many advantages to teaching your children about conservation. For example:

• They will develop an early interest in biology and the environment, which will help them with their school work
• They will learn to respect animals and their natural habitats
• They will spend quality time with you as you learn about the oceans together
• They will go outdoors and socialise with new friends by getting involved in local conservation efforts
• They will look after the Earth for years to come

Whether you organise community-wide beach cleans or you simply visit your local aquarium, just make sure you spend time together and learn more about marine life as a family.

Get Involved in Beach Cleans

Partaking in a beach clean is a quick and easy way of tidying up the local coastline! It’s also a chance to explore the beautiful British views and reflect on the harmless effects litter is having on the natural world. You could organise a beach clean yourself and get the whole community involved or look out for an organised event coming to your area. Either way, bear in mind that you’ll need to…

• Wear protective gloves and shoes so you don’t touch anything harmful
• Get plenty of suncream on to make sure you don’t burn
• Bring something large and portable to put your litter in, like a bucket or a wheelbarrow
• Respect any animals you come across by not touching them or disturbing them in any way

Enjoy your time on the sandy shore and be sure to post a few snapshots on social media! By doing this, everyone will see your handywork in action and they might even plan a beach clean of their own (or at least pop along to one in the future).

Get Creative

If you don’t fancy hitting the beach, you can always get creative at home. Making activity packs, quizzes, and games, or taking part in storytime is a fun way to engage with your children without leaving your living room.

When you get started, make sure you include some surprising facts and figures about the oceans to get your kids gripped! For example, if you’re making a quiz, you could ask your children how long they think sharks have been around for (the answer is 420 million years!). You could also tell them that about 100 million sharks are killed in fishing nets every year. Such big numbers will show your children how impressive marine animals really are, and it will highlight the dangers they face today.

There are plenty of books you can read with your children too – or make up your own story!

Visit An Aquarium

Taking your family to your local aquarium is a great way to learn more about conservation. Here, your little ones will get up-close and personal with the creatures themselves, by viewing them in displays and watching them during feeding times. Most aquariums also hold educational talks, where expert aquarists tell you all about the creatures they care for and how important it is to look after the oceans.

Whatever you do to get your kids interested in marine conservation, make sure you have fun doing it! Blue Planet Aquarium provides regular educational talks for children, animal feeds, and even Aquatheatre productions with the aquariums many sharks and professional divers! Plan your next visit to get your family excited and passionate about marine life.

Author Bio:    Blue Planet Aquarium is one of the UK’s largest aquariums, showcasing a wide range of events – from shark dives and Aquatheatre productions to animal feeds and educational talks.